Michael Bay redeemed!!! Great action movie

Rating: 7/10 (10 July 2005)

I saw the sneak preview of The Island in San Francisco earlier tonight, and let me say what a ride it was. I normally do not like Michael Bay films, The Rock is an exception, so going into the movie I was not expecting much. But The Island simply blew me away from its intense chase scenes to its unexpected comedic moments. I will go through the good and the bad of the movie.
The good:
Brilliant film-making. I did not think I would be saying this about a Bay movie but I really liked his style in this movie and not only with the action scenes.
Compelling plot. I liked the story even though it takes a lot from Logan's Run and other movies about the future or cloning. I believe it did well to take elements from other movies and bring them into something new.
Music. The score by Steve Jablonsky was fantastic, need I say more?
Likable actors. Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson were good but not great in The Island but what they did have going for them was that they were very dynamic when on the screen together.
The action. Of course.
The bad:
Not very thought provoking. I believe that The Island could have had a little less action and a little more thinking and questioning a la Blade Runner. As it was it stuck mostly to its action roots instead of exploring a little deeper.
Enough running already! For the first hour or so, it seems that all the protagonists do is run. It starts to get a bit tedious but not so much that it ruins the picture.
Product placement. Puma, MSN, Apple, Xbox, Aquafina, Cadillac, Nokia, and many more, there was enough product placement to fill a house. I guess they had to fund the movie somehow.
Conclusion: All in all, Ifound The Island to be a very entertaining movie, well worth my money.It overcomes its few shortcomings nicely and becomes what a summer blockbuster should be, great fun.